


Oxygen

by NovemberNights



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Black Paladin Keith (Voltron), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), gosh i hope this isn't too cheesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22042978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovemberNights/pseuds/NovemberNights
Summary: When Keith's Galra genetics go haywire, Katie normally knows what to do.But sometimes, things go wrong, and sometimes, you have yourself a good chat with some space caterpillars before deciding to go knock some sense into a boy that needs a good sense-knocking.Set sometime in an alternate season 7.
Relationships: Keith/Pidge (Voltron), Keith/Pidge | Katie Holt
Comments: 8
Kudos: 97





	Oxygen

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooooooo I wrote this over a year ago and deleted it at some point because I thought it was too cheesy. I have recently retrieved it from the trash and re-read it and deemed it Not-As-Cheesy-As-Previously-Thought, so as a late-Christmas, early-New Year's gift, I present, Oxygen!
> 
> I guess this is an alternate season 7 that's less stressful, lol. Also, this is like a mashup of three different "Kidge fic tropes" that're pretty fun; the Kidge Mission; the Half-Galra Genetics Craziness, and the Angsty Confessions of Oblivious Dorks.

__

_You’re my oxygen_

__

_I breathe you in_

__

_And live again_

* * *

The control room door opens with a hiss and Katie whips around with a start, bayard drawn. A dim purple glow from outside illuminates the doorway as a silhouetted figure slips inside with a whisper.

“It’s just me,” Keith reassures, face taking on an odd color in the green light of Katie’s weapon.

“What are you doing here?” she hisses softly, allowing her shoulders to relax. “We’re supposed to rendezvous in ten with Green.” She returns her bayard to her hip, and the only light in the room comes from the screens behind her. She turns back to her laptop.

“Change of plans,” Keith says, walking around to her side. “The quintessence is en route to a transport ship. We’ll have to grab it on our way out, but we need to go now.”

Humming in agreement, Katie closes out of her programs and starts pulling wires out of the Galran console. Keith helps her to shove her tech into her backpack, and they rush out the door while she shrugs the straps over her shoulders.

Keith is quick, ushering her along behind him in the halls. They have to hurry; not only to catch up with the sentries carrying the quintessence, but also to get out before Katie’s self-destruct code times out on the ship.

T-minus: eight minutes, fifty-four seconds.

They run into a patrol along the way, but Keith dispatches the two sentries in a flurry of blades, all undetected thanks to Katie’s coding. With all the cameras on loops, they might as well be ghosts.

There’s five and a half minutes to go when Keith spots the target sentries ahead of them. He sneaks up from behind, bringing down the bots with his swift bladework while Katie slips around them to search their cart for the quintessence. She’d know it when she saw it, Krolia had told her.

She pulls the quintessence from its box with a long whistle, drawing Keith’s attention away from moving the fallen robots. He drops the sentry in his hands and turns to see.

“Look at this stuff,” Katie whispers, eyes scanning the tube of glowing blue liquid. It’s about as long as her arm, and wider, its glass sides capped at the ends with black locking mechanisms. 

Keith pushes the tube of quintessence close to her, “Hang onto that. We can figure out what’s up with it later.”

Katie nods, hugging the tube carefully, “Let’s get out of here.”

“Yeah.” Keith checks the area once more before taking off down the hall, Galran eyesight helping him to navigate the dim corridors with ease.

Katie grips the tube of quintessence firmly as she runs with him, thankful for the gloves of her undersuit keeping her hands from sweating. It wouldn’t do to drop her cargo.

Keith stops suddenly, extending an arm to signal her to do so as well. He presses himself against the wall, carefully peering around the corner.

“Patrol?” Katie asks quietly.

Keith nods and backs up, a mini holomap appearing above the gauntlet of his armor, “We’re gonna have to reroute, they’re not leaving anytime soon.”

Katie leans in to study the map and frowns, “Keith, the only other way to get to Green will take too long. We’ve barely got three minutes left,” she notes, the timer appearing over her own gauntlet.

Keith grimaces, “And she can’t come get us, it’ll draw attention and risk the quintessence,” he huffs irritably before pointing to a large room on the map, “Our best bet is to steal a fighter from the hangar, but we’ll have to be quick.” He ports the route to his helmet’s visor, “Let’s go.”

Clutching the tube of quintessence close, Katie falls into step behind him, hurried footsteps sounding against the smooth floor. She contacts Green as they’re running, telling her to wait outside the ship’s hangar.

Barely thirty seconds are left by the time she and Keith sneak aboard a two-man fighter and get it fired up. Katie buckles into the rear seat, holding the quintessence tightly while Keith maneuvers the ship out of the hangar, much to the alarm of the Galran soldiers. 

Keith pours all of the fighter’s power into the engines, and they shoot out into space mere seconds before the Galran cruiser explodes. The force from the blast sends them spiraling away to be caught by the jaws of the Green Lion. She spins a little, following through with their motion to slow them down.

Katie feels the ship come to a stop and releases the tension in her shoulders. Green’s presence is warm in her mind, and a quiet hum is all she needs to assure her lion that she’s alright. In front of her, Keith releases the fighter’s controls and stands, prompting her to do the same. She follows him to the hatch in the floor, both paladins double checking their helmets before going out. Green’s mouth is open for them to float into, and a welcoming purr runs through the mechanical cat’s body as they set foot inside.

Keith takes the tube of quintessence from Katie, and she slides into her chair in Green’s cockpit with a smile. She removes her helmet and shakes out her matted hair, then reaches for the controls.

“First order of business,” she says, pressing a button to activate one of Green’s lasers, “Destroy the evidence.” A quick laser blast from the tail makes scrap metal of the Galran fighter, then Katie turns the controls over to her lion. Autopilot will bring them back to base in a few hours. Katie spins her chair around, watching as Keith tucks the quintessence away in a compartment beneath the floor. He sits down on the edge of the bunk and exhales, long and slow.

Katie pulls her legs in to sit criss-crossed, “Take off your helmet,” she suggests. Keith bobs his head and pulls it off, setting it beside him. Eyes closed, he runs a hand through his sweat-soaked bangs. He then places his fingers over his eyes, and when he uncovers them, blinks at the floor before squinting at her, irises surrounded by a pale, glowing yellow.

“Do you think you could—”

“Oh!” Katie exclaims, “Of course!” She leans across her chair to lower the brightness level of the lights, “Sorry about that.”

“You’re fine,” Keith says, running a thumb along the scar on his cheek. Ever since his fight with Shiro’s clone his body has been switching back and forth between his human and Galran genetics. For the most part, it helps him, sharpening his senses and skills. He still lacks the ability to control it though, and it takes time and energy to readjust.

“How are you feeling?” Katie probes. His shifts are not always pleasant, she knows. 

Keith shrugs, “Not too different. Bit warm though.”

“Tell me if you need anything.”

“Yeah,” Keith huffs, picking up his helmet and resting it on his knees. Its onyx, curved surface reflects the lights of the cockpit. Keith lays his arms across the top and lets his shoulders relax.

A small smile tugs at Katie’s lips. The black armor suits him, she thinks. It symbolizes the changes the team’s been through. They’re put back together now, like a puzzle. She twists her fingers in the ends of her now shoulder-length hair absently. 

That’s another change.

“You’re doing a good job, you know,” she says.

Keith raises his gaze to stare at her, a little wide-eyed. They glow slightly.

“We’ve all come a long way since we left Earth,” she pauses, and Keith hums in response. “We’re more than who we were before. We’ve seen and done things, and it’s changed us,” Katie takes a breath. Maybe it’s her way of apologizing, and forgiving, or maybe it’s the way she seems to know he needs to hear it, to solidify it. Maybe it’s both. She meets his eyes, “I think it’s been a good thing, though.”  
She smiles, leans back in her chair with her eyes closed, and says “You’re doing a good job.”

Keith is quiet for a good while. Katie opens her eyes to see him blinking at the wall.

“Keith?” she asks.

He looks at her, eyes normal again, and the corners of his lips turn up. “Thanks,” he says, voice soft.

Katie smiles back, “I’m gonna take a nap here. You should get some rest.”

“Yeah. I’ll do that,” Keith nods, sets his helmet aside, and swings his legs up onto the bunk to sleep.

***

“I meant what I said after the mission last week,” Katie says, offhand.

She and Keith are walking through the halls of the rebel base they’re currently occupying. She’d been working in the labs that evening, and had bumped into Keith on her way to the kitchen. He’d come from the training room, judging by the damp state of his t-shirt.

And the smell.

Not that she minds, much.

Keith gives her an odd look, as if asking her to clarify what she’d said.

Katie pokes his side with her elbow, “You’re doing a good job.”

“Oh, that.”

“Yeah, that,” she rolls her eyes playfully. They hadn’t had an opportunity to talk since the mission debrief. She’s been wanting to make sure she got through to him.

“What about it?” Keith asks.

“We’ve all changed. You’re not who you were last time. You’re more. And I believe in you,” she smiles.

“Oh,” Keith muses. “Um, thanks.”

“Anytime.”

They fall into a comfortable quiet, feet pattering against the floor in a soft, synchronized rhythm. Until Katie’s feet are the only ones making sound. She slows to a stop and turns around curiously.

Keith is standing in the middle of the empty hallway, looking glazed. He’s staring at nothing in particular, it seems.

“Keith?” she calls, stepping towards him. His gaze drifts towards her, then down to his hands. He stretches his fingers out and curls them back in again, brow furrowing.

“Keith?” Katie tries again, “You okay?”

Keith shakes his head ever so slightly, “I feel… off.”

Frowning, Katie steps closer and reaches to take his wrist in her own hand, “Maybe it’s another shift?” she pauses, “Let’s get you to the med bay.”

Keith nods absently, and allows himself to be led through the halls of the base. Katie moves as quickly as Keith’s sluggish limbs will allow. Concern creeps into her mind, and she wonders how his exhaustion from working out could affect him if he is about to shift.

His hand slips from her grasp and she whirls on the spot. Keith has a hand pressed to his head, a pained expression across his face. He’s shaking.

Katie reaches out to him, “Keith? What’s wrong?” she asks. These symptoms are new.

Keith says nothing, and doubles over with his hands on his knees to support himself. His breathing is labored, and Katie frowns. She moves closer, looping one of his arms over her shoulders as she eases him to the floor. She kneels in front of him, hoping that Keith’s body will relax enough for her to get him to the med bay.

He doesn’t. He does the opposite, actually.

Katie watches as Keith’s shivering turns to awkward spasms as he curls in on himself in pain. Katie reaches for her communicator, intending to contact Coran, but the device is knocked from her grasp by a wayward limb. She casts a stunned look at the communicator as it skitters out of reach, but quickly snaps her attention back to Keith. She has to try and soothe him.

Scooting closer, Katie takes Keith’s hand and squeezes it in hers. _I’m here._

She needs to get him out of his head. Anchor him. Violent shudders still wrack his body, and his fingertips are clawed now—one of his less common shift characteristics. Katie lets go of his hand and wraps her arm around his shoulders, pulling him in towards her so that at the very least, she can try to prevent Keith from hurting himself. She tightens her grip on Keith’s shoulders as he stiffens suddenly, hands clenching and unclenching rigidly at his sides before flying to his head. 

Katie lets out a yelp of surprise as she registers a sharp pain in her cheek. Keith’s eyes snap open at the sound, and she turns her gaze to his face at the motion. His hands are pressed to the sides of his head, but he lowers them slowly, yellow eyes staring up at her, stunned.

“Katie,” he croaks. His throat is dry, it seems. She notices his canines are more pronounced. Fangs.

“I’m here,” she says, “You’re okay.”

Keith nods, but doesn’t take his eyes off her cheek. He pushes himself into an upright position, and Katie reaches out to steady him. He’s quiet. Shocked, even. He can only sit still for so long, however, and soon he’s attempting to stand up.

Ignoring the pain in her cheek, Katie focuses on helping Keith get to his feet. He’s a little wobbly, and she wraps him into a hug to steady him. He’s warm. Another part of the shift. Katie steps back after a while. She retrieves her communicator from its place on the floor and pockets it before turning back to Keith.

“Let's go,” Katie says, offering her hand. He takes it, and she leads him down the halls. She moves carefully and without stopping until they reach Keith’s room in the Paladins’ wing of the base. 

“Get some rest,” she suggests as the door slides open. “I’m going to go talk to Coran. See if he has anything for you in the med bay. Is there anything you need?”

Keith hums in thought, then says “No.”

“Alright then,” Katie nods. She gives Keith another hug and is about to step back, but he stops her. He brings a hand to her face, gingerly running a finger over the cut. Katie smiles a little and leans into his hand reassuringly. 

“I’m okay,” she says. 

Keith lowers his hand, “Does it hurt?” 

Katie closes her eyes and exhales, “Keith, don’t worry about it. I’m fine.” 

“Katie, tell me if I hurt you,” he demands. There’s an odd quality to his voice, as if he’s scared.

She looks away, murmuring “Yes.”

Dropping his gaze to the ground, Keith grits his teeth. “I’m sorry,” he whispers hoarsely.

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault,” Katie insists, but Keith can only be frustrated with himself in that moment, and her stubbornness isn’t helping.

“I’m going to sleep,” he says, “I’ll see you later.”

That seems to satisfy her. Keith ducks inside his room and waits for her footsteps to fade away before sitting on the edge of his bed. He lays back with a pained grunt and closes his eyes, dragging a hand across his face. Maybe Katie’s right, but he can’t accept it yet. He refuses to let his body betray him. It’s a fight he needs to win, even if he has to cut himself off to do it.

***

Katie plunges her face into the fur of one of her tribbles with a groan, rolling over on her bed to stare up at the ceiling. She transfers the tribble to her chest and hugs it close as it trills a high, purr-like sound.

“He’s being weird, and it’s frustrating,” she sighs, massaging the creature’s green fur with her fingertips. It trills again, sending vibrations through her ribcage like a cat would.

Katie pops her head up to give it a flat stare, “No.”

The tribble squirms in her grasp and wriggles free, which prompts her to sit up as it continues its high-pitched trills. Katie reaches up at the floating ball of fluff, but it moves out of reach and trills again, blinking the luminescent markings on its face slowly. She stares up at it.

“You want me to _what?”_

It purrs at her, and she jumps up to grab at it, but the tribble floats farther away whilst making sounds that she suspects to be laughter. The other two stare owlishly at her from their perches in the corner.

“Fine then, I will,” Katie grumbles, yanking open her closet. Her sleep shorts are fine, but she grabs a sweater to pull on over her tank and some socks for her bare feet. She scowls playfully at the tribbles, whose markings blink slowly back at her in approval, and stalks out the door.

It’s not yet too late in the evening, so she checks the kitchen first. Among the handful of rebels in the room she spots Hunk, who waves to her as she enters.

“Hey, Katie,” he greets her, “What’ve you been up to?”

She steals a cookie off the plate on the counter, “I’m on an idiot hunt.”

Hunk casts a long stare, “Which one?”

“Tall, dark, and broody.”

Hunk puts a hand to his chin and nods like a connoisseur of fine wine, “Ah, the elusive _Leaderus keithus._ Only found in the distant training room or his private quarters, and rarely, the kitchens.”

Katie cracks a small smile, “Yeah, that’s the one. Seen him around lately?”

Hunk shakes his head, “Not since breakfast,” he paused. “I’m worried about him, Katie. For the past few weeks he’s only come out of his room to eat, train, or go on missions. You’ve told us what happened, but he won’t talk to anyone about it.”

“I know,” Katie sighs and touches a finger to the scar across her cheekbone. “That’s why I’m trying to find him. He’s being an idiot and I’m sick of it.”

Hunk nods in understanding, “Good luck then.”

“Thanks. See you later, Hunk,” Katie says, heading for the door. She walks to the training room first, but, finding it empty, turns her course to Keith’s room. She stands outside his door, wondering if she should have planned something to say in advance, but figures it wouldn’t have made a difference. Keith will be Keith.

She knocks.

Listening carefully, she waits, and is about to knock again when she hears a quiet “Come in.” Letting out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, Katie turns the handle and steps inside, shutting the door gently behind her. 

Keith is sitting on the edge of his bed. He looks up at her and frowns, “You shouldn’t be here.”

Katie shakes her head, “Doesn’t matter. You’re my friend and I care about you.”

Keith doesn’t say anything, and turns his gaze away from her slowly.

“Quit moping and talk to me, it’s been weeks!” 

“Pidge, I can’t.” 

Katie feels her breath catch in her throat. She’d finally gotten the team to start calling her by her real name sometime after the destruction of the Castle of Lions. For Keith to revert to using her nickname… it’s strange. It means something. She steps away from the door and stands in front of him with her arms crossed.

“And why is that?” she probes.

“I just… I can’t.” 

“Yes you can, Keith. Talk to me now. I can't just let you sit here and lock yourself away.” 

Keith’s brows knit, “I have to, Pidge, until I know I’m in control of my own body.” 

She shakes her head, tears pricking at her eyes, “That's stupid, Keith. You need help to learn how to do that. Being alone is not going to solve your problem,” she says firmly, but her voice is starting to break. It surprises her, how emotional she suddenly is. Had she unknowingly been keeping it in?

Keith looks away. 

That breaks something in her. She doesn’t want this. “Talk to me Keith, why are you doing this? Why are you cutting us off?” Katie demands. She lets the tears fall and sinks to her knees in front of him, _“Why?”_

Keith won't look at her, “I don’t want to hurt the people I care about. If separating myself from you and the others keeps you guys safe, then it’s what I have to do,” his voice is tense, but loud, trying to overcome something. 

Katie notices he’s shaking, but her voice rises to meet his through her hiccuping, “Keith, I don’t care! None of us do! You’re our leader and part of our family. You’re a part of us, and we need you. We want Keith back. _We want to help you._ But you have to let us back _in.”_

He looks like he’s hurting inside, his face drawn in a tight expression, “But I can’t, Katie! I tried, and I hurt you. I won’t let that happen again.” 

The return to her name catches her off guard, but she recovers and shakes her head, “You can try again, Keith! We’ll help you!” 

“No, Katie, I can’t. I’m afraid and I can’t, okay!?” 

Katie rests her forehead on his knees, tears falling unhindered from her face, “Why?” she whispers, “Why can’t you?” 

For a tense moment, Keith is silent, and Katie’s tears are wet on his knees. 

“Because I love you!” He hangs his head to rest on hers, his voice choked and quiet, “Because I love you, and I don’t know what to do about it. Because I love you and I want to protect you. Because I can’t breathe when I’m around you, and I suffocate when you’re gone. It killed me to know I’d hurt you, and I swore I’d never let it happen again,” he pauses and takes a shaky breath, “Because you’re gorgeous, even covered in engine oil, because your smile is like the sun and your eyes are like stars. Because your snark matches mine, and you can handle the hot-headed idiot that I am even now, when you yourself are crying, and I'm sorry it’s because of me,” he brings his hands to her face gingerly, staring into her stunned amber eyes while wiping away her tears with his thumbs, “Because I love you, and I don’t think I could live without you.” He sucks in a breath and whispers “You’re my oxygen.”

Katie blinks, and for several heartbeats, says nothing.

Keith searches her face, “Katie, I–”

“Kiss me,” she breathes.

Katie watches Keith’s eyes go wide as she cuts him off, the words seeming to fall from his lips. He takes a moment to recover his senses, expression shifting into something akin to wonder, and she can’t help but smile reassuringly up at him.

It’s all he needs, though.

Keith leans forward carefully until their lips meet, easing into each other. Katie loops her arms around his neck, taking the kiss long and slow. After an eternity, or perhaps an instant, they separate, and a goofy grin slips across Keith’s face. Katie giggles at him and presses her face against his knee.

“I love you too,” she says softly, “I just wasn’t sure…”

Keith shakes his head, unable to stop smiling, and presses a kiss to her forehead, “I’m yours.”

Closing her eyes, Katie reaches for his hand, twisting his fingers with her own, “And I, yours.”

They sit in a blissful silence for a few seconds more, then Katie’s eyes flash open and a grin breaks across her features.

“Let’s watch a movie,” she says, getting to her feet. She gives Keith’s arm a gentle tug, “I’ve got a bunch on my laptop back in my room.”

Keith allows himself to be pulled along toward the door, grabbing his jacket on their way out. Katie chatters softly about her collection of classic movies while they walk, leading him towards her room excitedly. Before long, she and Keith are curled up on her bed with the tribbles and a mountain of blankets piled comfortably around them.

Outside the Green Paladin’s room, Hunk pumps his fists in the air silently from behind the corner at the end of the hall.

**Author's Note:**

> gosh this feels so cheesy i hope it's not.
> 
> I want to hug a tribble. space caterpillar. idk what they're really called.


End file.
